Ryoken

Let me start with one word: Karaoke! While some of us got the chance to test the Karaoke waters in Tokyo, this was a real treat. A Ryoken is the idea of a traditional Japanese Hotel or Inn. We stayed in rooms with tatami mat floors, beds that are really futon mattresses neatly placed in the closet, tables with cushions on the floor ( yep, no chairs allowed) and like a real family would, three or four to a room!
This was obviously meant to be a group bonding opportunity! The bath rooms were very large, very warm and pretty comfortable, but I had already done that with my host family, and it just wasn't the same without the natural smell of sulphur. Some people took the opportunity to try their first Japanese stone bath, where you lay on hot stones for a half an hour to relax your muscles. I wasn't big on that idea after two of my roommates returned with bright red faces and a lot of cooling down to do. Instead, a few of us made tea and reflected on how our trip was winding down as we waited for dinner to begin.
We got all dressed up in our traditional hotel "robes", remembering to fold left under right, the other way is reserved for wrapping the deceased, put on our toe-d socks, our slippers, then headed off to dinner. We were served in a large room, ten facing ten with a walkway in the middle so our servers could access our individual tables more efficiently. Thank goodness, the cushions were on half chairs, no legs, just a back to lean on!
We ate sushi, miso soup, pickled vegetables, sukiyaki (I think), rice, and a few other things I can't name, but were good. Only the picky eater went home hungry. They had warm saki to serve with dessert, and then, it was time for Karaoke!
Our group might have started out a little nervous but soon enough we had a good time and everyone got up to finish the night with a little rendition of "We are the World." Ok, a little cliche, but it seemed to fit our experience! And it was lots of fun!
A smaller group of us weren't ready for bed yet, fearing that our time together might change when we returned to Tokyo the next day. So we ordered some sake to go and told more stories about our states, our schools, our families, and of course, our trip.
I have had such a great time with some of the most wonderful people here. It's amazing how close people can become over what may seem to be a relatively short period of time, but we are spending every minute together.
While I know I'm going to really miss some of my new friends, I look forward to the 'reunion' we've already started planning so those of us on opposite ends of the US can see each other again. New Jersey seems easy, that's right next door, but could we cover more distance from Florida to Texas then way up to Alaska? Wow, new places to visit!
I think our sleepover at the ryoken solidified our feelings about how different, and yet, how the same our cultures can be. We are all still human beings who thrive on building relationships with good, kind people.
Miss you, Fukuoka friends; and Thanks!